As most of you know this has been a cuemaker dominated section, we have had a lot of interesting and educational threads about some of the worlds best cuemakers. This is going to be a little different as we are going to be talking cues here but I feel this can also be very helpful and informative to a lot of us.

This thread is gong to be about tips and chalk, John Bertone is President of Kamui USA and has been with the company since day one, before John started with Kamui he owned 5 star Billiard products, an online retail store back in the 90's, John also spent a lot of time learning about cues, tips , and the pool industry from spending many hours in Kerry Zeiler's shop, through Kerry he met Masato Hiraoka and became good friends, this friendship eventually forged the Kamui company, and the rest as they say is history.

In this thread I hope we can learn a lot about tips as well as chalk, keep in mind that John's expertise is with the Kamui product line as I am sure he knows a lot about all tips and chalk his specialty I am sure is his own company so let's be respectful and let's learn something here. As always thanks to John for taking the time to give us some knowledge, as you already know we have a few days to ask some questionsand then John will answer, we are a bit limitted on time because John is leaving for the BCA show so let's pick up the pace on this one. As we all know I get to ask the first few questions, so lets kick this thing off.

1) What does the word Kamui translate to in English?

2) Without giving away any secrets are the tips 100% leather and if so what type of leather?

3) What qualifications do you guys have in leather and tips as well as chalk or is this a case of working with experts to achieve an idea you guys had to improve on these products?

4) What was the main motivation to create a new type of chalk and what is your hopes for this chalk moving forward?

5) Has there been any studies to see how long (hours of play) you can get out of your tips and chalk while using them in conjunction?

6) On the new Kamui clear tips can you please explain why the use of the clear pad, also when deciding on this clear pad why did you choose clear as apposed to a color?

7) A 2 part question can you please tell me what you feel is the most important qualities when it comes to a tip, and chalk as well?

Many people seem to bitch about the price of your product, to them what do you say?

9) Is there any other areas (besides just tips and chalk) that you guys would like to explore in the pool industry?

10) is it true you have a satisfaction guarantee that goes with your tips and can you please explain how that works?

11) besides the change in size and packaging can you tell me if there were changes made to the chalk from the earlier version?

12) While trying the chalk out I've noticed some marks on the balls and cloth can you tell me is it harmful and,What is best to use to clean off the cloth and balls from the residue left by the Kamui chalk?

Jim <-----Normally only asks a few questions but I have so many I might be back.

_________________ I am in a very very small group of people that can buy any cue they want that can make that statement.Congrats,Nick Serdula

1. When did Masato start making tips ? What was his background before making tips?2. What made him think he'd be successful at it when Moori was already well-established and "invented" the premium layered tio market ?3. Are there any plans for Kamui to expand it's line beyond cases, chalk, tips and tip maintenance tools ?

1. Rumor is that the Kamui Black line is going to phase out and and be replaced by the Clear line. Is that true?

2. Is it true that the reason for the clear pad was to keep the glue from seeping into the leather and keeping the tip playing more true throughout it's life?

2a. If the above is correct then why is there what appears to be another pad between the clear pad and the leather? see this pic viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7776 . or is that just part of the clear pad?

2b. If (2) is true then what about the "glue" that holds the pad to the leather? Wouldnt that affect the bottom layer(s) of the leather?

I have no more questions. With my experience the hit on the Clears is considerably different in feel then the Blacks. Not better or worse. Just different. Also with both clears I have tried (super softs) they have appeared to hit harder then the Black Super Softs, which isnt a bad thing, just took a bit to get used to since I was a tried and true Black Super Soft fan. I just had my first clear installed and I love it and played very well with it in a local tourney last Tuesday. Your tips are the best I have ever used. They last damn near a year (and I play a lot) and need minimal maintenance and never shroom out.

With all that being said, thank you for your contributions to the Pool world and taking the time to answer our questions. Your tips are a fantastic product.

_________________-H

Disclaimer:I'm really a shit pool player and you probably shouldn't listen to any advice I may give.

What is the differance between a soft tip and a super soft tip?I ask because I had a couple of soft tips (black) installed and I couldn't wait to get them off and I don't want to make the same mistake again with the clear tips. They were just too hard for my taste.

I see people scuff & scuff & scuff a tip until it is no more. Others are the Ron Popeil of tips; they set it & forget it....What do you recommend on the shaping & care of the Kamui tips ? (scuffers, shapers, etc.)

,,

J...thanks

_________________“he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions” (I Timothy 6:4)

At the past SBE I bought a Kamui cue holder and since returning home I have been unable to use it because my three year old insists that it is used for warding off bad pirate dreams. Were you aware of this when you designed it? Meanwhile I will wait patiently until its efficacy wanes.

_________________A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof was to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas AdamsIf anyone asks I'm claiming deniable plausibilityMy name is Paul and I approve of this message

On a serious note. Does Kamui offer non-layered tips and what are the pros and cons of layered vs not (in your opinion of course)Thank youPaul

_________________A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof was to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas AdamsIf anyone asks I'm claiming deniable plausibilityMy name is Paul and I approve of this message

Do the hides vary in hardness before they are made into tips? Do you have to test and process each hide, and are there only certain parts that are usable? Do you get hard tips from one section and super soft from another?

And THANK YOU, for being a sponsor of pool events, and supporting the game!

Last edited by sheldon on Sat Jun 29, 2013 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

1) Were you ever a player and if so what was your favorite tip before Kamui's birth?

2) What was your motivation in going into the tip business? And, if the $40 a tip Moori phenomenon had never taken place would it have influenced your decision?

3) What comes to mind when you see the other 2 guys selling there black tips at $2 a piece. You of course dont have to answer this but i would love to see if you perceive it as positive or negative from a business standpoint.

_________________Just because Jake doesnt know how to do it, doesnt mean it cant be done!

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. You handed me a sample Kamui Clear Black medium at the expo to try out, and so far it's performing great.

I have had several layered tips in the past develop a "clicking" noise. I've suspected that this is due to a tiny air pocket where the glue was soaked into the tip, leaving a small gap between ferrule and tip. Not a big enough gap for the tip to pop off, but nonetheless its surface isn't 100% glued. Moreover, I've noticed this problem in many cues around the pool room.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that glue starvation/glue soaking up into the tip is the main reason why you've developed the Clear series. Can I also assume that the clear pad material is chosen for its ease of gluing? And what is the hardness of the clear pads, would it be conceivably harder than the softest ferrule materials?

Finally: is it true that prior to install, there is no need to sand the surface of the clear pad? Would it harm anything to sand/prep the surface?

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum